Differences in meat quality between organically and conventionally produced pigs

This study compared organic pig meat production with conventional production with regard to carcass- and meat quality traits. 80 crossbred female and castrated male pigs were used [(Swedish Landrace x Swedish Yorkshire) x Hampshire] of which 40 were raised under organic conditions and the other 40 were raised in a conventional production system. The organic pigs were raised outdoors in one large group following the regulations for organic standards. The conventionally raised animals were kept indoors in groups of eight and were given a conventional feed mixture. It was found that meat of organically raised non-carriers of the RN- allele was of poorer quality (higher drip loss and increased shear force values) compared with meat from the other animals. The RN genotype had a relatively small effect on carcass and technological traits in this study. The sex of the animals affected carcass traits. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.